Daisies
1966
Directed by Vera Chytilová
Note: I have no idea why is the font is freaking out but the black highlighter with white font seems to be the only way the text is readable. I am honestly one step away from going all Office Space on this computer.
I have been busy all day procrastinating and not getting anything done so I thought I would take a break with this blog. Now, let's take a quick guess if I am going to like this film. It has no plot, two bratty girls, and is incredibly pretentious.
The movie stars two characters who both happen to be named Marie. God, I already hate it. It is like One Hundred Years of Solitude all over again. All right, stay on point. The girls eat from a Tree of Knowledge and then...oh fuck it, it is all nonsense anyway.
This film was directed by a woman, which is shocking to me, since I thought that the film definitely had a male gaze. I mean, watching two women frolic around for an hour or so does not seem like something that a woman would come up with.
Another somewhat pointless film and I hope something comes along soon to break the cycle.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Part of the Czech New Wave.
Errr.. is it just me.. or can anyone else see what is written here?
ReplyDeleteI have the Number, title, picture.. but then everything else is blanked out by white blocks.
But.. never mind.... all is not lost. The notification Email I get has the text.. so I can read what you say.
You don't know how glad I am that a younger (I've always thought you are quite a bit younger than me) person disliked this pair as well.
I thought it was just me being a grumpy old git. These two really got up my nose with their sneering snotty nosed attitude to anyone who didn't come within their approved list.
So, OK there is a trace of social commentary in there.. They observe, and quite rightly dislike what they see.. the way the world around them is.. what their society offers. But is wanton destruction the answer? "I am not invited to your party, so I'm going to wreck it.. if I cannot have everything I want (you can almost hear the unspoken bratty AND NOW, along with stamped feet), no-one will"
How did that closing dedication go? Something like 'To everyone who thinks that the worst think in the world is stomping on a bed of lettuces' (well, words to that effect.) OK, sure, in a world where there are several million refugees living in fear and hunger from a civil war, where millions die in poverty, where thousands of women have their genitals mutilated.. sure, stomping on someone veg plot is very little... But someone grew those lettuce, they tendered, cared and watered them.. and need them either to eat or sell ... but I don't care.. I'm young, carefree, a rebel, and i want a few moments fun jumping on them and smashing something. I don't care about who I affect by doing so.. they are not me or my besty friend.. so they and their lives don't count.
Now lets show some unpleasant creepy guys trying to hit on them.. so we can have a highly subtle montage of mutilating anything vaguely phallic shaped.. because all men are like that, obnoxious offensive with abusive intent (or just stupid geeks) aren't they?
Right, sure.. great intelligent advances in feminist dialogue there. The world is shit, so lets make it even worse by behaving like 12 yr olds.
(Are we sure this was made by a woman? Not one of those put up jobs by a cabal of bitter, divorced men determined to show that woman are just badly behaved silly little things?)
Oh boy.. sorry, that took of on a bit of a rant didn't it... I should calm down and shut up.
You may have gathered I didn't like it.
Hi Ray!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is going on with the font but I think I fixed it so it is readable.
I really loved reading your comment because, like I said, I couldn't really think of why this film is considered a feminist piece. I completely agree with you. It's like Faster Pussycat Kill Kill. If that's feminism, I don't want any part of it.
I am guessing you are like fifties? Am I close? What age do you think I am?
What ever you did Amanda, it worked. All clear now.
ReplyDeleteOh boy, you put me on the spot trying to spot your age.
As you correctly deduced, I'm 57..No, sorry, I think I'm 58.. (born Oct 1955 for those better at instant maths than me). But I like to consider myself younger than that.
And that, I'm afraid, puts me in a generation that was told it was rude to guess a woman's age.... but then growing up in more modern times taught me not to make sweeping gender based generalisations like that. So I guess that allows me to have a stab? Ah, but then.. whilst as most of ones life, the rudest insult you can give at this sort of thing is to say someone is older than they are...BUT, slowly, creeping in in later life, comes a feeling that if you say something too young.. you are being offensive because you think they are too young for their age - as in immature..
Oh the mine fields of social etiquette..
OK, but you asked, so on your head be-it.
I will be surprised if you are much beyond late 20's.
Gulp.
If you now come back and tell me you are .. I will me very embarrassed...
(Gimmie a break.. you had a photo to go on..)
Haha wow your comment made me laugh!
DeleteI wouldn't get offended if you tried to guess my age. My weight...yeah, that might earn you a slap.
.. But I notice you have not given the corrected answer......
ReplyDeleteYou are close! And I am young enough for my coyness to be charming. I think?
DeleteI am in line with Ray on this one. These are two rebel girls, cool. They rebel by trashing everything and act like irresponsible teenagers, not cool.
ReplyDeleteEspecially the food sequence is so annoying that I seriously considered stopping the movie right there.
Thanks TS!
ReplyDeleteJust re-read this thread of comments.. Good grief, I was once 57? Wow...
ReplyDeleteI took this film as a scornful critique of the wealthy ruling classes. So far, so the same as the rest of you. But I assumed that the girls were supposed to represent this grotesqueness, not be our heroes rebelling against it? Did I miss something?
ReplyDeleteThey are feckless, entitled, decadent, self-obsessed, inconsiderate. At the end we are told there is no hope for them and quickly, in the same typed style, it adds the dedication to people "whose sole source of indignation is trampled-on trifle". Now, maybe I had different subtitles to Ray, and I appreciate that someone had to make that trifle, but I think that's quite a key difference to lettuce, no?
Well-filmed, lots of interesting ideas. But, once again, we're wondering where the line lies between pieces of video art and movies on a movie list.
Hi Dessie. Interesting that you got different subtitles .. I wonder which was more accurate? I can see the trifle could fit the theme better..
ReplyDeleteThen I wondered that, if in the 'lettuce' version, they meant the catering type of 'bed of lettuce', as in "...all nestling on a bed of fresh, crisp lettuce and drizzled with .." rather than a bed of lettuce growing. Quite a difference..
And an interesting thought that the girls were part of the problem, rather than the opposition .. Mmm..
I've thought about that since you raised that .. but, reluctantly, disagree .. I still think they were supposed to be seen as the anarchist heroines. But I really appreciated a different perspective to think about.